Appendix G.

Configuring a Dual Boot System

Sharing a computer between two operating systems requires dual booting. You can use either operating

system on the computer, but not both at once. Each operating system boots from and uses its own hard

drives or disk partitions.

This chapter explains how to configure your system to boot into both Red Hat Linux and another

operating system. For clarity, we will assume that the other operating system is Microsoft Windows .

But the general procedures are similar for other operating systems.

Note

If Red Hat Linux will coexist on your system with OS/2, you must create your disk partitions with

the OS/2 partitioning software   otherwise, OS/2 may not recognize the disk partitions. During the

installation, do not create any new partitions, but do set the proper partition types for your Linux

partitions using fdisk.

If you do not have any operating systems installed on your computer, install Windows first and then

install Red Hat Linux.

If you are installing Windows 9x or Windows ME, you can not define partitions during the Win 

dows installation. Install Windows, and then refer to Section G.3 for instructions on using fips to

repartition your hard drive and create free space for Linux.

If you are installing Windows NT or Windows 2000, you can create partitions of a specific size for

Windows. Leave enough free space (space that is not partitioned or formatted) on the hard drive to

install Linux.

Tip

While partitioning your hard drive, keep in mind that the BIOS in some systems cannot access more

than the first 1024 cylinders on a hard drive. If this is the case, leave enough room for the /boot

Linux partition on the first 1024 cylinders of your hard drive to boot Linux. The other Linux partitions

can be after cylinder 1024.

Refer to Section 1.3 to determine how much disk space to leave. After installing Windows, refer to

Section G.2.

If the computer you want to install Red Hat Linux on is currently running Windows (or some other

operating system you have installed), you have an important decision to make. Your choices are:

Do you want Red Hat Linux to be the only operating system on your computer, despite the fact

that you already have Windows on your computer? If yes, you do not have to configure a dual 

boot system. Backup any information that you want to save and start the installation. During the

installation, if you choose to have the installation program automatically partition your system on

the Disk Partitioning Setup screen, choose Remove all partitions on this system. If you choose

manual partitioning with Disk Druid or fdisk, delete all the existing DOS (Windows) partitions

and then create your Linux partitions.